it was nice having a racist in
the family
someone he could beat on with
words rather than his fists
there were otherscloseted to be sure but he felt if they couldnt fly their freak
flags then they ought to stay in an keep their fuckin mouths shut
the racist was his father
bitter lessons for the pair of them
although there were times he was
tempted to excuse his fathers excesses
his fathers father was a virulent
racist
during the 1919 Chicago race riots he went out and roved the city at
night he was ripe for it he had returned from the killing fields of the
Great War survived the Flu Epidemic surviving
that shit might have suggested to even a reasonable man he was golden
mind and body
it was probably a good thing his
grandfather died when he was a boy older mano a mano they would have been ugly
close relatives told him he had his grandfathers temper
his father was righteouslyblatantly
racist
when Obama was elected he
received a telephone call from him You
must be pleased, boy; you got your nigger president. he
wasnt boy
when Obama was reelected I see your nigger won again, boy.
when Trump was elected he called
his old man Dad, I see you got your ass
wipe racist president
while those were overt major
thruststhe closeted family hanging closer to the old man whose coalescence he chided Solidarność eh Coolvery cool they
were Polish they had frequent skirmishes
over the years
what his old man picked at but
couldnt provoke was some way to diminish or abrade or scar his belief system he couldnt understand how
his son was so different from himcouldnt understand how his beliefs were steadfast that words didnt make him flinch
his father didnt follow that his
beliefs werent to despise him he understood
for various reasons that sometimes fathers and sons didnt mix his father didnt follow that he learned forged
alloyed and hardened his belief structure
to his old mans derision he got under his skin
like scabies
his old man got too emotional his emotions unexplained he couldnt stand being equated to blacks
when mitochondrial Eve was
discovered to be from Africa Mankinds Cradle published in newspapersin his
fathers sacrosanct Chicago Tribune We
are all black formidable evidence he couldnt
poopoo away he made copies of the
article and on their reverse side he wrote letters to him for months
when it was discovered that people
with blue eyes have a single common ancestor and that ancestor wasnt white they were likely
Levantine Middle Eastern sixtyfivethousand years ago during the Chalcolithic erawhich meant nothing more than their
implements were devised of copper and stone he also made a slew of copies and wrote letters
on their reverse side too
though recently icing on the cake
he called his father to tell him that he had watched several nights earlier HulusHBOs
production of Judas and the Black Messiah Ya know how it is absence makes the heart grow fonder anticipation ought to be savored I purposefully put off calling you The films about Chicagos Black Panther leader
Fred Hampton
You remember that
I do, that nigger sold Hampton
out; he was a rat.
You remember correctly
I do. You were an embarrassment.
You were all about the Black Panthers, you couldn’t wait to share newspaper articles
about them with me.
You remember correctly
What are you calling about?
Gotta tell yaalmost fell out of
my chair Theres a scene where Hampton goes
into a city bar to talk up either the head of the Crowns or the Disciplines an
talkin across the bar to the brother a black cat a customer to Hamptons left leans
back and takes a pull from his can of beer
Takes a pull from his can of beer
. . I’m listening to you.
Just makin sure sometimes you tune me out wanted to make
sure you heard me
I hear you more often than I sometimes
care to, son.
I appreciate that Dad
So he
takes a pull from his can of beer . .
.
. You said.
I did yes
Dad did you know that blacks in Chicago drink Old
Style too Just like you Like you from Africa like blue-eyed you from Galilee
Don follow your hangup about black people Sometimes you act as enslaved as they were
but you never were never were
Evidently some niggers got good taste.
That’s what you called to tell
me.
That Anthat I love you
My five
minutes up he
laughed
Your five minutes are up, son. I
love you too; thank you for calling.
Got a letter coming your way
I look forward to it, son.
Talk with ya soon Dad
We’ll talk soon, son.
son
better than boy
late August, 2021
1155, Day-between-Two-Ts, 8 9.
21
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130170343.htm
